Demon Amongst Monsters
by Mia-Night
Summary: 20,000 yrs ago fish-ape hybrids ruled the waters. What happens when one fish-ape befriends a land walker that isn't what she seems? How will it work out when both are frozen and brought back 20,000yrs later? Will everything be the same or will it be how it should have been?
1. Before

The willow trees swayed in the breeze. The lagoon's water was as calm as could be. A black wolf hybrid cautiously approached the water's edge. Her black reptilian like legs barely reaching the water when she sensed something just beneath the surface. Leaning in closer to the water, the wolf jumped back in surprise as what looked like a combination between a mermaid and a hairless two legged land walker.

They looked at each other with wonder. A sudden splash startled the wolf. A black sail sprung up from the wolf's back and shook violently. The shaking of the sail made a rattling sound that filled the air all around the lagoon. The aquatic hybrid dove back under the surface of the lagoon. When the hybrid reappeared, the wolf was now laying by the edge of the water.

Growling in his native language, the hybrid attempted to make contact with the wolf. However the wolf didn't understand the growling hybrid. The wolf's head was tilted to the side in confusion. When the wolf didn't respond to the hybrid, he sighed and dropped his head in defeat. With a snort, the wolf attempted to communicate with the only other way of friendly communication she knew.

Climbing to her feet, the wolf got up and headed back towards the forest. Right as she was about to enter the forest, she turned around and sprinted towards the water. Just as she was about to run into the water, she jumped. Jumping right over the top of the hybrid's head, the wolf dove into the lagoon's water. Springing from the water's depths, the wolf held a decent sized fish in her mouth. It was then that the hybrid realized that the wolf had gotten the fish for him. With a firm nod of his head, the hybrid reached for the fish with a webbed hand. This shocked the wolf but came to realize that the hybrid had accepted her form of communication and friendship.

Two seasons had passed and the lagoon was now covered in white cold. The wolf's cold season fur had come in beautifully. Every-day, since the day they had met, the wolf and hybrid had met with each other by the edge of the water of their lagoon. Well, every-day except the last seven. The wolf had been busy avoiding the hairless land walkers and didn't want to put her friend in harm's way. She had finally lost the land walkers in a storm of white. Happy with her escape, the wolf returned to the lagoon.

When she arrived at the lagoon the majority of the water was solid. With a frustrated growl, she made her way across the solid water in search of a weak spot. Finally finding where the water couldn't support her weight any longer, she pounded on the ice until it cracked. Not wanting to fall in to the icy water of the lagoon, the wolf threw her head back and released a powerful howl. This was the way she let her hybrid friend know that she was there. When nothing happened, the wolf howled again. Still nothing happened. Scared that something had happened to her friend, the wolf decided to break through the ice in hopes that her howl would reach her friend better.

As the wolf's front legs landed on the already fractured ice, a sharp pain shot through her hind leg. The ice gave out from under her weight causing the wolf to fall into the icy waters of the lagoon. Once under the water, the surface started to freeze. By the time the wolf made it to where she had fallen in, the opening had already completely frozen shut. Panic started to settle in. How was she going to make it out of the water now?

Just then, a dark shadow swam by her. Spinning around to get a good look at the creature, the wolf was surprised to see her hybrid right in her face. Scared, the wolf let go of the breath she had been holding. Now panic was really starting to set in. The hybrid attempted to calm his friend down by holding up his large webbed hands. One of his hands rested on her head and lightly slid down her neck. She looked into her friend's eyes and realized that everything would be alright.

With a firm nod, the hybrid made off in the direction of the center of the lagoon. The wolf, with a worried expression, followed her aquatic friend. When she swam up to the hybrid's side, she saw what looked like an underwater cave. Glancing to her friend for guidance, she realized that he was guiding her to his den. With a shaky nod, the wolf followed her friend deeper into the lagoon. About halfway into the cave, the edges of the wolf's vision stated to go black. The pain in her hind leg was getting worst and it was getting hard to keep up with her friend. Suddenly, her body reacted on its own and forced a convolution. With what little air she had left in her lungs, the wolf let out a howl of pain. Then the wolf's world went black.

When the wolf woke, she came to realize that she was no longer underwater. That she was in a dark cave. Her eyes took a while to fully adjust to the dark, but once they had she could make out her surroundings. In the middle of the cave was a good sized flat rock that looked like she could fit on if she curled up tight enough. There was also what looked like a nest of some sort not too far from the flat rock. On the top of the cave were pointed rocks that didn't look too stable.

Feeling that she was well enough to move, the wolf attempted to get up. It was then that her friend revealed himself to her. He had been behind her just waiting for her to awaken. The hybrid placed one of his webbed hands on the middle of her back and applied pressure. This caused the wolf to fall back to the floor. However, she ended up landing on her sore leg. With a growl of pain, the wolf turned to snap at her friend.

"Stay." The hybrid growled out.

With shock clearly in her features, the wolf replied, "How? How can I understand you?"

"I learned your language by listening to you."

"I don't know what to say to that."

"Your leg is injured. The land walkers got you before you fell through the ice."

"Is that why you didn't come when I called?"

"Yes. I sensed them three suns ago. I was worried that they had gotten you. Where were you?" The hybrid asked.

"Near my den, the hairless land walkers sent their tamed wolves after me. I had been running from them for seven suns. I didn't want them to find you." The wolf stated truthfully.

"Thank you."

"For?"

"Trying."

"Yeah, no problem. It's what friends do right?" The wolf smiled.

"I'm Oken."

"Sandra. So, Oken, is this your den?"

"Yes. I know that it's not much but it's the only place under the ice that I could get you." Oken stated.

"Thank you. I appreciate it greatly." Sandra smiled as she attempted to get up again.

"Stay." Oken ordered.

"Can you at least help me to that rock? I need to move otherwise my joints will get stiff." Sandra stated with annoyance in her voice.

"Fine." Oken sighed as he helped Sandra over to the flat rock.

"That your nest?"

"Yes." Oken stated in a dry tone. "Can you even get up on the rock?"

"Yeah, I'm adaptable." Sandra smiled as she shook off Oken's webbed hands and jumped up on top of the flat rock while favoring her injured leg. "See?"

"Wow. Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure.

"What are you? I've never seen a land walker like you before."

"To be honest, I'm not sure what I am. I've seen long tooths and I'm not like them. I've seen wolves but none of them ever have the back fin. So, I don't know what I am. Maybe I'm a hybrid like you." Sandra stated.

"Hybrid?"

"Yeah a cross between two or more creatures." Sandra informed just to get a confused look from her friend. "You look like a mermaid and a hairless land walker."

"I do?"

"Yes, you do." Sandra lightly laughed. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to laugh. What do you call yourself? Creature wise. I've never seen anything like you. Not even when I was by the great water. It tasted really bad."

This time it was Oken's turn to laugh. "I'm sorry, but the great water most land walkers avoid. So I imagine that it wouldn't taste very good to your kind. I'm from the great water. My tribe didn't want me around anymore, so I was forced to leave. That's when I found the lagoon and met you."

"I'm sorry. Well we could be a tribe…what is a tribe?" Sandra asked.

Oken let out a laugh, "I guess you could call it a family."

"That's horrible. Why wouldn't your family want you?"

"I was different from them all. My mother and father were the leaders of the tribe and with me as their only offspring, they insisted that I stay hidden. When I disobeyed them, they were forced to banish me from the tribe." Oken said in a sad voice along with avoiding eye contact with Sandra.

"I'm sorry. That's a stupid reason to banish someone. I wouldn't banish someone just because they look different. That's stupid. Looks don't make a creature, it's what they do in their life that makes a creature." Sandra said.

"Thank you Sandra."

"For what?"

"Being part of my tribe." Oken smiled.

With a head tilt, Sandra let a true smile grace her lips. "Well thank you for being part of my tribe."

With that, the two hybrids became the best of friends. They did everything together. Once the white cold had vanished, and the lagoon's surface was no longer covered in ice, Sandra returned to the world of land walkers. Promising Oken that she would return once she found a new den. Oken understood but didn't want her to leave. He liked the fact that he always had her around. Now if felt like he was losing his tribe all over again.

Fourteen suns later, Sandra returned to the lagoon. With a mighty howl, she waited for Oken to surface. When he didn't come up she decided to go into the lagoon and search for him. Diving into the lagoon, Sandra realized that the water of the lagoon was different. It stung her eyes in a way that it had never before. Ignoring it, she pushed on towards the underwater cave that lead to Oken's den. However, the deeper she got the colder the water got. She knew that something was wrong now. Picking up speed, Sandra finally made it to the entrance of Oken's den. What she found though wasn't what she wanted.

The water around the entrance of the cave was solid. The new growth on the trees was late as was the new grass. Now the entrance to her friends cave was turned to ice. That's when she saw it. There in the ice was her dear friend and tribe member. He had been caught in the ice somehow. Her heart broke at the sight. She knew that her lungs would give out soon, and she had to leave her beloved friend behind. Silently apologizing, Sandra took her leave. Seven suns later the cold returned even worse than before.


	2. Chapter 1

Link sat against the wall opposite a cell door. His friends stood three doors down the hall just looking on. Susan had finally had it. Turning to the good doctor, Susan asked about her friend's odd behavior.

"It's been a long time since one of our other team members was here. Link was really close to her." Dr. Cockroach informed his companion.

"What was she like?" Susan asked.

"She was kind, non-judgmental, loved to laugh. Her laugh could make any bad day seem not nearly as bad. Link was her first friend here."

"Any idea why?"

"He was the first one here that I met." A heavenly voice answered from behind Susan and Dr. C.

As they turned around, the beautiful red haired, blue eyed woman stood just looking at the green fish-ape.

"Hey Doc, how long has he been sitting there?"

"Sandra, I'm so pleased to see you are alright." Doctor Cockroach smiled.

"Yeah. How long Doc?" Sandra barked.

"About three hours now. He sits there every year on the anniversary of your leaving."

"Man, now I feel bad. Oh well, time to have fun." Sandra smiled as she crouched down and crawled over to where Link was sitting. Taking in a deep breath, Sandra smiled before yelling, "Stop being so blue!"

To the sudden yelling, Link fell over clutching his chest. Sandra now lay on the floor laughing hysterically at her friend. This earned her a glare once he realized exactly what happened. Smiling, after gaining her breath, Sandra jumped into the air as Link pounced at her. Laughing again, Sandra took off running as Link chased after her.

"She understands Link the best. I've come to believe that there is something more to their relationship but have never found any proof." Dr. Cockroach stated.

"What do you mean?"

"There's just this feeling about them when they're around each other. I can't explain it."

"I think I know what you mean Doc," Susan said with a smile.

"Monsters, I see you're all back together again." General Monger stated.

"Hey, where's Bob?" Sandra asked.

"He's probably pestering Coverton." Link smiled.

"Who?"

"Coverton, he's new here." Link lightly growled.

"I take it that he's not a monster then."

"What gave you that idea?" Link sarcastically questioned.

"You have this really cute growl to your voice when you don't like something." Sandra smiled with a head tilt.

"Come on Sandra, let's go get Bob." Link sighed.

"OK, race ya there. Wait where are we going?"

"I'll show you." Link smiled.

As they made their way down the hall, Link couldn't stop looking at his dearest friend. Something was different about her now. He couldn't put his finger on it but there was definitely something different about her. They made their way to the common room to find a grey, long legged, alien sitting in a levitating chair running away from Bob. Shaking her head, Sandra calls for her blue gelatinous friend.

"Sandra!" Bob cried as he ran over to his friend.

"Hi Bob." Sandra struggled to say as her blue friend hugged her tight.

"I'm never letting you go." Bob stated sternly.

"Bob, I can't breathe."

"Sorry Sandra." Bob said as he let her go.

"Not a problem Bob. I know how you get when you're excited." Sandra smiled.

"Monsters, there have been reports of a creature that seems to appear and disappear. It's your job to find and retrieve this creature." General Monger stated from the door way behind them all.

"Is there any other information you can give us General?" Sandra questioned.

"Nope. Just that the plane has the drop point for you." Monger stated as he turned his jet pack around and left.

"Guess we get to go out and kick creature butt." Sandra smiled.

"General, shouldn't Sandra stay behind? She just got back from her last mission." Dr. C stated.

General Monger looked at her then back at the good doctor, "She's going."

"But General; that's cruel. She just got back. She should-"

"It's fine. I really don't mind. I can rest up on the plane." Sandra smiled. "Besides, I haven't had a mission with the guys in so long."

"I still think you should stay here my dear." Dr. Cockroach stated.

"I appreciate your concern Doc, but I'll be fine. Hell, I've been through worst. Trust me." Sandra smiled to which the doctor just nodded.

"I'm Susan by the way."

"Nice to meet you Susan. I'm Sandra."

"If you don't mind me asking, how long have you been here?" Susan questioned.

No one had ever asked Sandra about her past. They just thought she was another soldier working at area fifty-something. That she was just the team's babysitter.

"I've been here for…hmm…a while now. Hey Link, how long have you been here?" Sandra questioned.

"About 52 years. Why?"

"Just wondering." Sandra replied. "I've been here about 60 years. Give-or-take a couple of years." Sandra answered Susan's original question.

"Wait, you've been here longer than me and you still look so young?" Link gasped now realizing everything.

"Actually, I think I look pretty damn good for over 20,000 years old." Sandra smiled.

"WHAT?!" Everyone other than Monger gasped.

"Yeah, I was thawed out by the general and some of his scientists. Hmmm, that was about two or three years before Bob showed up." Sandra informed.

"That's right. You were such a good dog back then." Monger stated.

"What do you me 'back then'? I'm still good." Sandra snapped at her father figure.

"Yes, but-"

"But what?"

"Never mind."

"No, tell me. You know I'll just bug you until you tell me." Sandra stated.

"Fine, you're not the same wolf you once were." Monger stated in slight defeat.

"Well I could have told you that. I grew up."

"Not just that Sandra." Bob chimed in.

"I remember a black wolf with a thingy on its back."

"You mean my sail?" Sandra questioned.

"You're a monster?" Link gasped out in shock.

"Yeah. What did you think I was? Human?" Sandra laughed.

"Honestly, yes my dear. I think we all thought that." Dr. C stated.

"Really? Why the hell did you guys trust me then?" Sandra questioned, now the one to be shocked. "I remember not trusting anyone for like a year after I got here."

"You didn't judge me by my looks." The good doctor stated.

"You made me feel like everything was going to be ok." Link admitted.

"You were the only one that didn't scare me at first." Susan stated weakly as to not hurt her friend's feelings.

"You are my friend Sandra." Bob smiled.

Sandra smiled with tears in her eyes. "Guess you all have good points."

"You monsters better get going. You have a creature to capture." Monger sternly ordered.

"Yes sir." Sandra and Susan stated in unison. "Guys, let's move out."

They looked at each other and just laughed. Finally, something good had come Sandra's way. With a smile on her face, she tagged Link and declared a race to the plane. Link gladly pushed the emotional conversation that took place mere seconds ago aside and chased after her dearest friend.


	3. Chapter 2

Once on the plane, and after it took off, Susan decided to get to know her fellow monster better.

"So, Sandra, do you remember anything before you were frozen?"

"I remember I was the only one of my kind. That I had been injured and was taken care of by a dear friend. Sadly, I can't remember what he looked like. Or what his name was. I just remember that we were extremely close. Other than that I don't remember much. Other than I lived by an isolated lagoon." Sandra smiled.

"Hey maybe we knew each other back in the day." Link smiled.

"I don't think so Link. I'm sure I would remember your ugly mug." Sandra teased as she laughed.

Link playfully glared at her but couldn't help laughing along with her. Three hours later, they were finally starting their decent. Sandra smiled brightly as she watched the ground get closer and closer. Finally, the plane landed. Sandra practically ripped the door open and jumped out before it had even fully stopped. Once her feet were firmly on the ground, however, she started to bounce up and down on the balls of her feet with a pleasant smile.

"What's with her?" Susan asked her fellow monsters.

"She hates flying." Link smiled as he watched her and Bob bounce.

"You two are a lot alike. Aren't you?" Susan questioned Link.

"I guess. I mean, I didn't even know she was a monster till today. We've lived together for over fifty years and it never dawned on me till today that she hadn't changed at all." Link stated.

"You two seem really close though."

"Yeah. She's always been there for me. Always had my back." Link smiled at the memories of training simulations past.

"She's never shown any of her monster features?" Susan asked in shock.

"Nope. Never had to." Sandra smiled. "After I found the ability to transform from wolf to human, I never needed to turn monster. Monger taught me how to shoot and stuff so I've always just used that knowledge instead of my more animalistic knowledge. I guess that's one reason Link and I are so close. We're both probably the most animalistic out of the group."

"Hey, why is it that you never asked me if I remembered anything from before I was frozen?" Link asked Sandra.

"I just figured that you were like me and didn't remember much if anything. How about this? After the mission we all can sit down and do that game…what do the humans call it again?"

"Twenty questions?" Susan asked.

"Yeah that one. We can play twenty questions and get to know each other better." Sandra smiled. "Since obviously we didn't know each other as well as we thought we did."

"Sounds fun. I haven't played twenty questions since I was a teenager." Susan stated excitedly.

"Great. But first things first. We've got to retrieve this creature and escort it back to Area Fifty-something." Sandra stated in full mission mode.

"Well, I think we should split up." Dr. Cockroach stated.

"Normally I would agree with you but since we have no idea what we're up against, we should stick together. Power in numbers and all." Sandra stated as she started to look around the clearing. "Hey Link, could you climb that tree over there and tell me what you see?"

"Sure Sandra, but what exactly am I looking for?" Link asked.

"Well since the plane dropped us off in a forest, I'm thinking that this creature is going to need water and obviously food. So if you see either, let me know." Sandra winked as Link dashed off to the tree pointed out to him.

"I know that Link has a flirtatious side to him but can I ask you why you flirt so much with him?" Susan asked as the doctor's theory ran through her mind.

"Honestly I'm not really sure. I've always done it. Ever since we met I've always been really sweet towards him."

"That's true." The good doctor stated.

"You still think there's more between Link and I don't you Doc?" Sandra smiled.

"Yes I do."

"Well when you find proof, do let me know." Sandra lightly laughed. "He's had that idea stuck in his head for years now. Actually I think he's had it since day one really."

"So you and Link are just friends?" Susan asked just to clarify.

"Yeah. We flirt all the time with each other but it doesn't mean anything. It's just for fun." Sandra stated as she turned her attention back to Link. "See anything Link?"

"There's a river about half a mile that way." Link stated as he pointed in the direction of the river.

"You're too high up Link, I can't see which way." Sandra yelled up at her friend.

With a sigh, Link jumped down and landed next to Sandra. "It's about half a mile that way." Link said now in Sandra's line of view.

"Well let's get going. If we stay near the river, then we are bound to find something."

And with that said, team monster headed off towards the river. However, Dr. C wasn't about to give up on his theory just yet.

"Link."

"Yeah?"

"What's really going on between you and Sandra?"

"Not this again. Doc, how many times do we have to tell you that there's nothing going on between us?" Link lightly growled.

"Link you're growling again. Is Doc bugging you again about our relationship? No pun intended." Sandra asked not bothering to turn and face her friends.

"How could you tell?"

"I hang out with Link all the time Doc. I can pick up on the smallest of changes in his voice. Or have you forgotten that I was the one who taught him to speak English?"

"Actually I had forgotten about that." Dr. Cockroach stated in a whisper.

"Hey guys, look. Water!" Bob excitedly stated as he dashed off towards it.

"No, wait Bob." Sandra warned as she ran to get in front of her blue friend.

"What's wrong Sandra?" Bob asked once said friend had stopped him.

"That water may look calm but trust me, it's far from it. Look how the water moves around those rocks."

"Ok," Bob said still not understanding.

"Let me put it this way Bob. The water is moving very fast underneath the surface."

"So that means…"

"That means that if you fall in you go down river and are never found again." Sandra stated in a scary tone of voice to get her point across to her brainless friend.

"So I shouldn't go in the water?"

"Exactly Bob. Don't go in the water."

"Well why didn't you just say that in the first place silly?" Bob smiled brightly.

"Sometimes I wonder about you Bob." Sandra stated in a low whisper.

"So what's the plan now?" Susan questioned.

"I could whip up a bridge real quick but-"

"I think that would be the best choice my dear. One problem, how to get Bob across?" Dr. C asked.

"Simple, like this." Sandra smiled. "Hey Bob, want to play a game?"

"Yeah!"

"Great, it's called…um…how far can Bob fly?" Sandra stated after thinking for a quick second.

"I love that game. How do we play?"

"Ok, first you need to become like a soccer ball." Sandra stated as Bob did as instructed. "Good Bob. Now I back up…and see how far can Bob fly?" Sandra said as she backed up a ways and then ran at him.

Just as she got within range, Sandra landed a firm kick to Bob's body, sending him flying across the river. As Sandra landed, Bob too, landed on the other side. He was cheering about how much fun it was and how the others had to try it out. Sandra just shook her head and headed over to a tree. Jumping into it, she started to gather the needed materials for the bridge. After a few minutes, she finally dropped down out of the tree. Landing mere inches in front of Link, Sandra stood and dusted herself off.

"Freaking trees. Now I know why I don't like 'em." Sandra muttered to herself.

"Do you need help my dear?" Dr. Cockroach questioned.

"Yeah, if you don't mind assembling the bridge for me. I know how fast you can build things."

"It would be my honor my dear." He smiled.

"Here I'll just lay out the pieces as I have planned for the design and all you would have to do is put them together with these." Sandra instructed as she handed her cockroach like friend some green vines.

In a matter of minutes, the bridge was put together. Now all that had to be done was to find the right place to put it. Looking up and down the river, Sandra finally decided to place the makeshift bridge over a couple of rocks that were sticking out of the water. With some help from Susan, the bridge was put into place. Smiling a confident smile, Sandra insisted that they go lightest to heaviest. That way everyone would get across safely. Everyone agreed, thus, Dr. Cockroach went first while Susan just stepped across. It then dawned on them all that Susan could have just carried Bob across the river. That she could just carry all of them across the river. With a sigh, Sandra looked to Link who simply just stated that the bridge was already made, so why not just use it? With a firm nod, Sandra debated with her friend about weight and how Link thought she should go first. After many minutes of arguing, Link was shoved onto the bridge. Sandra was only a few feet behind.

Link had made it across, but when he turned around to check on Sandra, the bridge gave out from under her. With a yelp, Sandra plunged into the rushing waters of the river. Springing from the water's depths, Sandra gasped for air. As the current pulled her down river, she told the group about the snake she had seen just before the bridge gave out. They all stated to run towards her but suddenly Sandra was pulled under the water's surface. There in her face was the snake. However, the snake wasn't exactly a traditional snake. This snake had arms and what looked like gills. Its body was as thick as a nice sized branch. The kind that one would attach a swing to.

With a death glare, Sandra smiled a demented smile and dug her nails into the snake's hide. A silent hiss erupted from her foe and let go of her. This caused her to drift faster down river. Pushing towards the surface, Sandra broke through and looked around for her team. All she could see was the Doc and Link following as fast as they could. Sandra was just barely able to hear what Link and the Doc were trying to yell at her. She looked over her shoulder and cursed. There in front of her was a waterfall. She looked back at Link and the Doc and took in the biggest breath of her life. Within a few seconds she was falling head first off the waterfall.

By the time Link and Cockroach made it to the edge of the waterfall, Sandra was nowhere to be found. They exchanged worried glances and decided to find a way down to the base. Dr. Cockroach radioed Susan letting her know what they were doing. When they finally got down to the bottom, Link dove into the water in search of Sandra while Cockroach searched on land. Twenty minutes or so later, Susan and BOB arrived. Link jumped out of the water breathing heavy.

"She wasn't kidding about the current being strong. Man that was one killer work out." Link stated.

"Did you find her?" BOB asked.

"No BOB, I didn't find her." Link sighed.

"She must be further down river." Cockroach stated.

With a nod from everyone, they moved out down river. Link took to the waters while everyone else looked on land. Two hours passed by and still nothing. They made camp and prayed that Sandra was ok. As everyone lay down to sleep, Link sat up in a tree looking out on the river. There were things going through him that not even he was sure of. He knew that he was worried about Sandra, but there was something else about what was coursing through him that he didn't understand. Didn't know. A heavy sigh escaped him as he silently hoped and wished that his dearest friend would be ok till they found her.

As everyone lay sleeping, Link finally decided to jump down and go search for Sandra. It didn't seem like he had traveled that far, but in all reality he had traveled up to three miles. Link dare not enter the icy waters. Suddenly, a few coughs filled his ears. Looking around, Link frantically searched for the source of the coughs. Finally, he found Sandra desperately clinging onto a fallen tree.

"Sandra!" Link called as he ran out onto the tree.

"Link?" Sandra questioned in a weak voice.

"Don't worry Sandra, Ol' Link is here." Link smiled as he lifted her out of the water.

She winced as they landed on the ground. Link looked down at her as she shivered in his arms. Looking around, he found a rock cluster that looked like it would block out any wind. Sitting down as gently as possible, Link wrapped his arms around the smaller girl that he firmly held in his lap.

"Don't worry Sandra, I won't let anything happen to you. Ol' Link will protect ya." Link whispered to the now sleeping Sandra.


	4. Chapter 3

Later in the night the sound of rustling brush awoke Sandra from her sleep. The monster in her was waking up. Her senses were running wild. Suddenly a firm hand was placed on her shoulder. Whipping her head around, she realized that it was Link. But something was different about him. Sandra couldn't put her finger on it but there was definitely something different about her dear friend. Just then, the snake she had seen before rushed out from behind a bunch of brush. Rising up, the snake hissed and then charged at the two. Link was the first to move. Gently, yet swiftly, moving Sandra out of the way just in time.

The snake brought down one of its clawed hands connecting its claws with the soft soil next to Sandra. This triggered the protectiveness in Link to come out. Before the snake could fully turn to face Sandra, Link was on its back. With a hiss of rage, the snake bucked Link from its back. Link landed on his back, knocking the air from his lungs. The snake took this opportunity to attack Link. With a mighty swing of its arm, the snake's claws cut deep and clean across Link's chest. A deep growl filled the air long after Link's cry of pain.

Looking over towards the source of the growl, Link's eyes widened at what was no doubt the source. Where Sandra had been sitting now stood a large black wolf with a black sail running majority of the length of its back. It was then that Link realized that it wasn't a growl but more of a deep rattling sound that fill the air. The wolf's sail was shaking just like a rattlesnake's tail. Her front legs were covered in black scales with reptilian front feet. The rest of the body was completely wolf. All except for the eyes which were a blood red color.

The snake started to rise up again ready to strike Link for the kill. However, it didn't bother acknowledging Sandra. That would be its downfall for the night. Bringing back its arm, the snack readied its self for the strike. Just then, Sandra leapt onto the snake's back and sank her large canines into the back of the snake's neck. With a combination between a roar and a hiss, the snake attempted to throw Sandra off. Finally, the snake gripped Sandra's right hind leg after about five minutes of struggling against her fangs. With a powerful swing, the snake threw Sandra into the back of the rocks. Now with her out of the way, the snake turned its attention back to the wounded Link.

Bringing back its arm again, ready to strike, the snake let out a horrific sound as Sandra bit down as hard as she could on its raised arm. The sounds of braking bones rang through the air. With a powerful hit from its tail, Sandra let go of its arm. One last glance and the snake slithered off as fast as it could back the way it came. Letting out an eerie howl, Sandra limped over to Link. As gently as possible, she gripped Link by the back of the neck and dragged him back over to the rocks.

"I had him right where I wanted him." Link whispered as he relaxed against the rocks.

Sandra laid across his lap and snorted, "Sure you did. Get some sleep. I'll protect you like you protected me."

"You're in worst condition then I am." Link argued.

"Sleep. I'm fine. Just sleep."

"Sandra?" Link asked after about ten minutes.

"What?"

"What caused that scar on your right leg?"

"Don't you remember Oken? You patched me up after those land walkers got me. Now please, go to sleep." Sandra stated as she returned to sleep.

Link looked up into the sky just to see millions and millions of stars looking back at him. _Who's Oken_? Link thought as he drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, as the sun rose up above the waterfall, Susan and the others woke. Looking around, Link was nowhere to be found. With slight panic, the rest of the team headed down river as fast as possible. Three miles later, the team finally came to an intersection in the river where an old tree had fallen into the river.

"Where could they be?" Susan questioned with worry.

"They have to be around here somewhere my dear." Cockroach stated trying to cheer her up.

"I hope nothing has happened to them."

"Hey guys look who I found." BOB stated as he pointed behind the cluster of rocks.

The doctor and Susan dashed over to their blue friend to see Sandra with her red hair covering most of her face. All that could be seen were her slightly blue lips. She was still laying against Link. Susan swallowed hard with worry as Cockroach made his way slowly over to the two. He placed two fingers on Sandra's neck to check for a pulse when suddenly she sprung to life. A deep, animalistic growl erupted from her small frame as she swung her right hand at the good doctor. He jumped back at the sudden attack. Sandra's breathing was ragged and her lips were still tinted blue. Link's eyes fluttered open to the scene in front of him.

Link pulled Sandra to him and wrapped his arms around her to where her arms were pinned. "Sandra, it's ok. It's the rest of the team."

"Is she ok?" BOB questioned.

"I don't know. She may be hallucinating." Link answered.

"That's most likely it." Dr. Cockroach stated.

"When did you find her?" Susan asked Link.

"Late last night. She was holding onto that fallen tree." Link answered.

"We need to get her back to Area Fifty-something." Cockroach stated with worry in his voice. "Her lips are slightly blue."

"What about-"

"We need to worry more about her." Susan stated.

"Alright. Let's call in for a pickup." Dr. Cockroach sighed.

As Susan radioed in for a pickup, Link released Sandra. Still acting weird, Sandra lay across Link's lap glaring at the others. Just as Susan was about to say something, the snake from last night charged at Sandra and Link. Right as it was about to strike, Sandra sprung up from her laying position and tackled the snake down. Within a few minutes, Sandra had the snake in a choke hold. In one swift move, the snake wrapped its tail around her chest and started to squeeze. Letting go of the snake's head, Sandra gasped for air as the sound of braking bones filled the air. Link growled darkly and charged the snake to just be held back by Susan.

"She needs our help Susie." Link snapped in a panic.

"And **we** will help her." Susan stated as she indicated everyone but Link.

"Link, you've been injured. That explains Sandra's behavior. She was protecting you Link." Cockroach stated.

Suddenly a loud hiss filled the air. All the monsters turned their attention towards the source. Sandra had her teeth deep into the snake's coils to where its crimson soul seeped out between her teeth. Loosening its coils, Sandra took the opportunity to use its tail against him. In about five minutes of fighting for control, Sandra finally used the snake's tail to tie him up to where he was ready for transport. She turned towards Link and smiled. Her eyes glazed over and in seconds, fell to the ground in a world of darkness.

"Sandra!" Everyone called.

"Dr. C please tell me that she's going to be ok." Link practically begged for the answer.

"I don't know Link. She's been hurt pretty bad."

"Come on Sandra say something. Anything." Susan pleaded.

Sandra lay there as Link picked her up. She was no bigger than Susan in her human form. But it was the wolf that triggered something from his past that really got him thinking.

"Link? Hey Link." Susan called.

"Huh? What?" Link said finally responding to his name.

"You ok?"

"Yeah why?"

"You were staring at Sandra like she was an alien. She's not an alien is she?" Bob asked.

"No Bob, she's not an alien." Link sighed.

"Then what's on your mind?" Dr. Cockroach asked.

"She called me Oken. Who is Oken?" Link said.

"What exactly happened?" Dr. C asked now very intrigued.

"That snake over there, he attacked us last night. That's how I got this." Link said as he motioned to his wounded chest. "She changed. She was a black wolf with reptilian front legs and a black sail that when she gets mad it rattles like that snake with the rattling tail. Her eyes though, they were red, a real deep red. But the protectiveness behind those eyes is what surprised me. It was like she was protecting her family or a loved one. Anyways, after the attack, we had settled down back in the rocks and that's when I asked her about a scar she has on her right leg. That's when she called me Oken." Link explained as their plane finally arrived.

"Well there's one of two possibilities. One, she was hallucinating, or two, she was confusing reality with something from her past." Cockroach stated.

"Do you remember exactly what she said Link?" Susan asked as she helped Link and Sandra into the plane.

"I think she said something along the lines of 'Don't you remember Oken? You patched me up after those land walkers got me.' Then she told me to go to sleep." Link sighed as he placed Sandra's head in his lap.

"Maybe my theory was correct." Cockroach stated as he took his seat next to Bob and across from Susan.

"Really? Come on Doc. I really don't think this is the time to be arguing about my relationship with Sandra." Link growled.

"No, what I meant Link is just this. What if my theory is correct but just not between Sandra and Link? What if my theory applies to Sandra and this Oken?" The good doctor suggested.

"That could explain why she changed into her monster form and was acting the way she was." Susan agreed.

"So, if she thinks that I'm Oken then does that mean she thinks we're together?" Link asked.

"Possibly. This is just a theory of mine. She may wake up and everything could go back to normal." Dr. Cockroach said.

After that, the plane fell silent. There was a silence amongst the monsters that put everyone at ease. Everyone but Link. His mind was on the fact that his best friend might be in love with someone else. Link shook his head trying to rid it of those thoughts. _She's a team member. A fellow monster. Hell she's not even the same species as you. How can you think that she would even be interested in a guy like you? _Link thought to himself. _She does flirt with me a lot. Maybe Ol' Link still has a chance after all. But what about this Oken guy? Why does she think I'm him? Were they even in love? Why do I even care that she may be in love with someone? Could I be? No. There's no way. Is there? _Link thought as a slight smile graced his features.

About a week after returning to Area fifty-something, Sandra was forced from the darkness just to be rudely greeted by blinding light and searing hot pain. With a loud howl of agony, Sandra sat up. Looking around, after adjusting to the bright lights, she found that she was in her room. Sighing, she crawled out of bed and headed towards the door. She felt like she had been run over by a freight train, who just so happened to put it in reverse and run her over again. With a groan, Sandra opened the door and headed down the hall towards the common room. Once there, she couldn't help herself.

"Thank all things good. You guys are ok." Sandra called into the room.

"My dear you're alright." Dr. C stated as he made his way towards the injured girl.

"Yeah I'm fine. You didn't think I would leave ya like that did ya?" Sandra smiled.

It was something about that smile that caught Link off guard. Something was different. His heart was beating so loud he swore everyone in the room could hear it. Everyone was carful around Sandra just so that she wasn't put in any more pain than she was already in. Sandra limped past everyone and made her way towards the green fish-man. Her smile grew a little bit bigger as a light pink touched her cheeks.

"Hey," Sandra stated in a slightly nervous voice.

"Hey yourself." Link stated in return.

"Yeah, so I'm not the best at this, as you well know, so yeah…" Sandra stated in her pathetic attempt of a thank you.

"Yeah, no problem. We got each other's back. Besides you would have done it for me." Link answered.

"So very true." Sandra smiled.

"If you're feeling up to it, I could use a spotter." Link stated in his lame attempt to come up with a good reason to be near her.

"Yeah sure. Can't do much but I can at least do that." Sandra smiled. "Oh, what ever happened to the snake?"

"Oh we…" Link stated as he drifted off.

"Well, you see my dear," the good doctor started.

"He left." BOB bluntly stated.

"He what?"

"He left. He got out of that funny position and ran away." Bob smiled.

"Monger's not going to be happy."

"He wasn't but he understood why we let him go. He's kept to the forest since we left." Susan answered.

"How do you know?"

"Well since no more sightings have come up, Monger set up an infrared satellite system and found the snake roaming the forest." Dr. C stated.

"Well that's good." Sandra smiled.

"Hey Sandra, who's Oken?" Link asked out of the blue.

"Oken?"

"Yeah, who is he?"

Sandra just blinked at her friend in shock. "Um, he's…he's…" that's when she realized she was the only one who remembered. "He's just someone from my past. Before the ice. Did I mention him in my sleep or something?"

"You called me Oken when we were attacked by the snake. Then you told me to go to sleep." Link nervously laughed.

"Oh, sorry. I must have really been messed up if I thought you were him." Sandra lightly laughed. "He was a very dear friend of mine. He was banished from his tribe and I was the only one of my kind that I knew of. For some reason I had suggested that we start our own tribe. Of course at the time I had no clue what a tribe was. He was a lone and so was I. It made sense to me. He saved my life and I never got the chance to repay him." Sandra said as she looked at her feet.

"Hey, I didn't mean to upset you Sandra." Link said.

"It's not your fault Link. You didn't know and you had every right to ask. I brought him up."

"How long have you been able to remember your past?" Dr. Cockroach asked.

"Since I came back from that solo mission. Now I don't remember everything but I remember a lot of it. Like I remember Oken and how we met. Stuff like that." Sandra stated.

"So you and Oken were only friends?"

"Yeah. We were family…a tribe." Sandra sadly smiled.

"Is that what he told you a tribe was?" Link asked.

"Yeah. He said that a tribe was like a family and that his didn't want him anymore." Sandra informed.

Link blinked as something flashed before his eyes. He blinked again and it flashed again. Closing his eyes, the flashing was finally just one big flashback.

~~~~~~~~~

"_Oken! Oken! Hey Oken." Sandra, in her wolf form, called out into a lagoon._

_**That lagoon. That's my lagoon. What's Sandra doing at my old lagoon?**_Link thought to himself as the flashback continued.

_Out of the lagoon came a fish-ape hybrid. That's when everything made sense. Oken was Link. Link was Oken._

"_Oken, there you are." Sandra smiled brightly and full of love._

"_Sandra, where have you been lately?" Oken asked._

"_Sorry, I've been looking for more land walkers to eat. They seem to be moving away. I don't know how much longer I can stay near the lagoon." Sandra sighed with sadness._

"_Hey, you could stay here and I can find you food." Oken stated._

"_Why would you do that for me?"_

"_We're a tribe remember? That's what a tribe does for each other."_

"_Oh Oken, I can't stay in you den all through the new time." Sandra stated._

"_Why not?"_

"_Oken, I can't survive on just fish. I'm not like you."_

"_Right." Oken said clearly hurt._

"_Oken, please. I didn't mean to hurt you. I just meant that we survive on different food. I need more than just fish. That's all I meant by it." Sandra stated as she placed one reptilian like hand on Oken's shoulder._

_Oken turned and looked at her with such love in his eyes that it scared Link. Then his expression changed from love to fear. Grabbing ahold of Sandra by the scruff of the neck, Oken dragged Sandra into the lagoon just in time. There in the shores of the lagoon was a hairless land walker's spear. Sandra didn't have time to get a breath of air before entering the world of water. In a panic, experienced by both Oken and Sandra, Oken did the only thing that came to mind that would save his friend. He took in a deep breath, filtered out the O__2__ from the water, and then kissed Sandra. Forming an air tight seal around her muzzle with his hands, Oken passed the air from his lungs to hers._

~~~~~~~~~~

Link opened his eyes to see everyone looking at him with worry.

"Link you ok?" Sandra asked from his side.

"I think so." Link answered.

"What happened Link?" Susan asked with worry.

"Who's Oken?" Link asked Sandra again.

"He's someone-"

"Who is he really?" Link lightly snapped.

"He's you Link. Oken is your real name. You happy now?" Sandra snapped as tears filled her eyes.

"Sandra I-"

"You what Link?" Sandra snapped as she fought back her tears.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell." Link apologized in a small voice.

"Oh Link. You know I could never stay mad at you. Even when we were younger and didn't understand a damn thing the other was saying." Sandra lightly laughed as joy shown through her eyes.

"So does this mean I'm forgiven?" Link asked sheepishly.

"Yes you stupid hybrid." Sandra yipped with joy as she pounced on Link as he laughed as they fell. "So what brought your memories back?"

"You mentioned my tribe not wanting me anymore. I guess that triggered something. What was your trigger?" Link wondered.

"I met someone from my family. My sister. She had said something about you and that's what triggered my flashbacks."

"Dog pile on Link!" Bob shouted as he jumped on top of the two ancient hybrids.

"Gah! Bob get off." Link moaned.

"Bob hope off. I can't breathe." Sandra stated knowing that Bob would do it if he thought she was hurt.

As Bob got off of them Sandra too tried to get off. However, for whatever reason, she lost her footing and fell back on top of Link. Gasps could be heard, mainly from Susan. As Sandra opened her eyes she realized that her and Link were kissing. She jumped off of her friend with a face so crimson one would think she was sunburnt.

"I knew it. My theory was correct." Dr. Cockroach teased.

"No it wasn't." Sandra snapped from embarrassment.

"No, but it looks like it is now." Susan giggled.

"Only if she wants it to be." Link said louder than he meant to.

"D-do you really mean that Link?" Sandra questioned with shock.

"Y-yeah." Link stammered.

Suddenly Link was on his back again. Sandra had pounced him again. A smiled glanced both of their features as Link snaked his arms around Sandra's small hips.

"So you have a sister?" Bob asked just now, slowly, catching onto the conversation.

"Yes, Bob, I do." Sandra smiled slightly in disgust.

"You told me back in the day you didn't know what you were. Did you ever find out?" Link asked trying to change the subject.

"Yeah." Sandra said dryly. "I'm a demon. Technically I'm not even from this world. My kind sent me out because I didn't agree with their plans for the world. So the banished me." Sandra stated still in a dry tone.

"I'm sorry. Forget about them. We're your tribe now." Link smiled as he held his best friend to his body.

"Hey Oken?" Sandra whispered.

"Yeah?" Link whispered back.

"I never got the chance to tell you before the ice came…I love you." Sandra whispered with a smile.

"Love you too Sandra." Link smiled back.


End file.
